Tim had a few errands to run in town. I wanted to buy some fruit’n’veg. So he dropped me off, with the expectation he’d pick me up in half an hour, though we knew my shopping wouldn’t take that long. As I walked from the greengrocer to the market, I passed the dress shop and there were some rather nice things in the window, so I returned after I’d finished shopping and texted Tim to tell him where I was.

I’m so polite, darlings. Sooooo polite. When he texted back to tell me he’d nearly finished, I broke off from my browsing, promised the shopkeeper I’d be back that afternoon and was in the place we’d originally agreed (yes, I confirmed that in a text) at the time agreed too. Tim wouldn’t have minded waiting, of course, but I would have minded keeping him waiting.

Anyway, I went back this afternoon and a friend came in, just a minute after me, so we caught up on news and so on, and then we both tried on clothes and each bought two garments. In my case, that was two dresses that are both basically blue. I tried on another blue dress and a blue t-shirt, and I particularly liked the t-shirt, but you have to draw the line somewhere and there wasn’t another colour in my size. I’ll probably go back another day, when the blue thing has dissipated a bit, because it was almost embarrassing.

It reminded me of two people from my childhood, though. One was an old lady that my mum delivered meals on wheels to and I often accompanied her. She lived on Lowestoft sea front, south of the river, and her name was Bluedith. Everything about her was blue. Her house, inside and out, her upholstery, her carpets, her clothes. She wore blue-tinted glasses. Even her budgie was blue.

The other lady, a good friend of my parents, was similarly fixated on purple. Her rather stylish living room was black japanned furniture and purple upholstery. What tipped the balance into a touch of obsession was, she called her daughter Lavender.

Nothing wrong with it, just a bit obsessive. I like blue myself, and purple. Anyway, I’ve bought two dresses; go me.